Three changes you can make today to protect your page

With so much press around the watch dogs clamping down on facebook and the resposnsibilities of owners, it’s no wonder a few businesses who do not have the resources are a little shaky.

Prompted by Aussie Smirnoff page, the ad board is putting the onus back on page owners.

Sydney Morning Herald says “Misleading and deceptive advertising is covered by Australian consumer law and each month the ad regulator publicly censures errant advertisers.

Although the Advertising Standards Board dismissed the original complaint about Smirnoff, which centred on sexism, under-age drinking and obscene language, it ruled industry codes applied not only to what a company was posting on its Facebook page but to the user-generated comments that followed.

The board’s determination also cited a recent case of a health company, Allergy Pathway, which was fined for allowing misleading and deceptive “testimonials” to remain on its Facebook and Twitter pages.

A media lawyer is warning that the Advertising Standards Board’s ruling on Smirnoff’s Facebook page will put the onus back on companies to be more vigilant about the nature of the comments people are posting to their company pages.”

While the Brisbane Times states “The Advertising Standards Board has declared that third-party posts that appear on company Facebook pages constitute advertising, and must therefore comply with ad industry guidelines and Australian consumer law.

The onus will be on advertisers to vet posts or comments to ensure they are not sexist, racist, vilify certain sections of the community or are factually inaccurate.”

 

In short now is the time to ensure your social media policy is being adhered to and your best practice guidelines are being followed. Realistically you can increase your protection quickly and easily, you do need to maintain responsibility for your brand.

Three simple things you can do now to increase your protection

1. Attach your social media policy to your page and website.

If you do not have a social media policy there are now a number of providers who can help you write one to ensure your business is covered.

2.  Update your Moderation Levels on your page

As an admin, log into manage page and set your profanity list to strong.  You will still need to watch your page and check on comments, there is no getting around the human element when we are talking about doing social well.

3. Watch your page

Make sure someone is responsible to check in on your page and respond or remove any inappropriate comments.  While the easy and affordable action may be to get 23 yo Sally in accounts to run your page, check in that she has adequate training on crisis management and is very clear on what is ok and not ok to post on your page.

This great article by Inc gives you 11 great points on selecting the best person to manage your pages.

Tell us…

What changes has your business made to ensure your social pages have increased protection?